Backup & Disaster Recovery Solution for University Dining Services

Enterprise Backup Infrastructure Upgrade for VMware Workload Protection and Future Scalability

Replacing Legacy Backup Technology with a Modern Data Protection Strategy

This Maryland university dining services organization recognized that its existing backup platform was no longer capable of meeting the demands of a growing virtual infrastructure and evolving cybersecurity landscape. The legacy solution lacked the flexibility, scalability, and advanced security capabilities required to support modern workload protection and long-term growth initiatives. As the organization expanded its hybrid IT environment, it sought a more robust backup and disaster recovery solution that could support additional workloads, improve operational visibility, and provide a roadmap for future data protection enhancements.

To achieve these goals, the organization partnered with Data Networks to modernize its backup infrastructure through the deployment of a scalable Veeam-based architecture designed to protect critical systems, enhance recoverability, and support future expansion across additional departments and workloads.

Deploying a Scalable Backup and Disaster Recovery Solution

Data Networks designed and implemented a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery solution built around a new Dell PowerEdge R760 server deployed within the university’s data center environment. The new platform was configured as a dedicated VMware vSphere host designed to support backup operations, monitoring, reporting, and future immutable storage capabilities.

As part of the implementation, Data Networks deployed a Windows Server 2022 virtual machine to host Veeam Backup and Replication and integrated the platform with the organization’s existing VMware vSphere infrastructure and Dell Unity storage environment. The deployment provided protection for 60 virtual workloads while establishing a foundation for future growth without requiring a complete redesign of the environment.

To enhance visibility and operational awareness, Data Networks deployed a second Windows Server 2022 virtual machine running Veeam One. The platform was configured to provide advanced reporting, proactive alerting, and malware encryption detection monitoring, enabling administrators to quickly identify issues that could impact backup performance or data availability.

The solution also included the deployment of Veeam proxy servers throughout the VMware environment to optimize backup traffic and improve performance. Data Networks further configured a Veeam Scale-Out Backup Repository (SOBR), incorporating both new storage resources and the organization’s existing NAS investments to maximize storage efficiency and create a flexible architecture capable of accommodating future growth.

Delivering Long-Term Resilience and Recovery Readiness

Beyond infrastructure deployment, Data Networks configured backup jobs, retention policies, scheduling, and application-aware processing to ensure reliable protection of critical workloads and applications. Backup operations were optimized using incremental backups with synthetic full backup methodologies, providing efficient data protection while minimizing storage consumption and administrative overhead.

The new backup and disaster recovery solution delivers a modern platform capable of supporting future enhancements such as immutable backups, cloud replication, continuous data protection (CDP), antivirus scanning of backup data, and expanded workload coverage. By eliminating reliance on aging backup technology and implementing a scalable architecture, the organization is better positioned to adapt to changing operational requirements and emerging cybersecurity threats.

A key component of the deployment included the implementation of a Veeam Hardened Repository hosted on an Ubuntu Linux virtual machine. This architecture establishes the foundation for future immutable backup capabilities, helping the organization strengthen ransomware resilience and improve recovery readiness as data protection requirements evolve.

To ensure successful adoption, Data Networks conducted knowledge transfer sessions covering Veeam administration, reporting, monitoring, and system management while providing comprehensive documentation to support ongoing operations.

Today, the organization benefits from a flexible and scalable backup environment that strengthens data protection, improves operational visibility, and establishes a reliable foundation for future disaster recovery and business continuity initiatives.

Tags: Hi-Ed, Hi Ed, data center, data center